The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 42
When did you get all the way here? When I looked away in bewilderment, Diart shifted his gaze to Leticia.
“Your Highness, greetings.”
“Welcome, Duke Wheaton.”
“It’s getting late, so how about we call it a day?”
The sun is still shining, what are you talking about? Besides, it sounded like a recommendation at first, but it was more like an order. Diart was looking down at Leticia with an imposing attitude, contrary to his polite words.
“But Her Highness hasn’t been here for long…”
“That’s a good idea.”
When I turned around, Leticia smiled faintly.
“It’s not polite for me to stay for too long without realizing. Since Roeni is still young, it would be better to see each other again next time.”
“I don’t mind.”
Even with my words, Leticia smiled and left the mansion, saying we’ll see each other soon.
* * *
“I envy you, Roeni.”
What is there to envy? I tilted my head as I recalled the words Leticia whispered in my ear before getting on the carriage, but Diart suddenly interrupted.
“I don’t think it will do you any good to be out in the cold.”
“It seems like everyone has forgotten that it’s summer now.”
I shrugged my shoulders and looked up at Diart. He had followed closely behind me after seeing Leticia off.
“So, where are you going now? It’s not my room, is it?”
“That’s right.”
Diart answered as if it were obvious.
“What? Again?”
Why are you coming again? I stopped walking and frowned.
Recently, I’ve been under an indescribable amount of stress due to Diart having to process documents piled up in my room.
At first, when he came to my room, he was really open to me and even came to visit me when I was sick. I was touched and grateful. That was only for the first three days. By the fourth day, I was freaking out.
It was unbearable to be locked up in a room all day without saying a word to a man who might kill me. I had to be careful every moment not to irritate him, so my whole body was tense and uncomfortable. Whenever I tried to move a little because I couldn’t stand the discomfort, an inexplicable gaze followed me.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“Yes.”
Very much so.
When I saw Diart’s eyebrows rise, I quickly spoke up.
“I think the office would be more conducive to concentration and efficiency than my room.”
“It’s okay.”
“I’m not okay… Ahem, thank you for your concern, but since I’m all better now, you don’t have to worry about me anymore.”
Diart looked at me silently with a smile.
“It’s just that I can’t rest comfortably because the Duke is here.”
I wondered why this quick-witted man was pretending not to understand. In the end, he threw a fastball.
“Endure it even if it’s uncomfortable.”
What kind of person says this so confidently? When people are dumbfounded, their mouths shut tight. I could only stare blankly and mumble, but Diart tilted his head sharply. His golden eyes stared down at me, a different gleam than the familiar coldness.
“I’ve been thinking about how to deal with you.”
“What? What about me…”
Diart looked down at me silently, and for some reason, I couldn’t even move under that gaze. I feel like a rabbit in front of a leopard. I just hoped he didn’t have any fangs in his thoughts.
“You might be able to do it, who knows. Go ahead.”
Taking a deep breath, I started walking first, and Diart followed me in silence. It’s going to be tough to rest comfortably again today, but I’ll just have to suck it up for the next few days. I’ll be able to leave for the townhouse soon.
As if I just remembered something, I spoke up.
“Oh, I’m planning to leave in three or four days.”
“Where to?”
“I told you before. The townhouse.”
“Ah.”
With an indifferent question and an equally indifferent response, Diart let out a short sigh as if he had just remembered something.
“I forgot.”
“You were busy.”
“Is there any need to leave.”
“I’ve prepared everything. If I’m going to leave anyway, I think it would be better to go as soon as possible.”
“Do you really want to leave like that?”
“Yes, I do.”
I answered firmly, ignoring the cold gaze I felt from the side, looking straight ahead. Diart remained silent. After walking along the long corridor where only the sound of footsteps echoed for a while, he finally replied briefly.
“Then do so.”
I secretly worried that Diart might change his mind, but I finally felt relieved. And a few days later, I realized that my relief had come too early.
* * *
“Hey! There’s a luggage left here!”
At Lambert’s shout, one of the knights who was carrying baggage on his shoulder hurriedly ran over and picked up a fallen box from the ground. From inside the box, a faint rustle could be heard.
I watched them from a distance with a surprised expression on my face.
‘How did things end up like this?’
Today was the day I was finally moving to the townhouse that I had been eagerly waiting for. When I woke up in the morning, I was excited at the thought of finally leaving this suffocating mansion and living freely. I quickly changed clothes and finished my preparations. When I asked Lily when we would depart, she replied, ‘I’ll call you when everything is ready.’
I had already packed my belongings, including dresses and jewelry, a while ago, so I didn’t know what else needed to be prepared. But more than that, Lily’s attitude of speaking as if it were someone else’s business seemed strange. And I found out the reason just two hours later.
“What are you thinking?”
Diart, who was standing next to me with his arms crossed, watching the knights move the luggage, spoke first. I anxiously asked with a trembling voice, desperately hoping that my uneasy premonition was wrong.
“What are the knights doing right now?”
“Don’t you see? They’re loading the luggage.”
“So why are they loading it onto my carriage… no, what are all these carriages for?”
I pointed towards the carriages lined up behind the ones carrying my luggage. The fancy carriages with the crest of the Wheaton family made me feel extremely uneasy.
Diart, who followed my gaze, spoke nonchalantly with an indifferent expression.
“It’s a bit simple because I prepared in a hurry.”
He spoke in a disapproving voice, as though he were unsatisfied.
“When you get to the capital, I’ll have someone call for more people.”
I would have been happy if that remark was meant to show concern for his former wife’s new residence. But his tone sounded like he was saying he would go to the townhouse with me.
I couldn’t hide my anxious expression and asked him.
“By any chance… are you also going to the townhouse?”
“Yes.”
He answered cruelly, not seeing my desperate gaze begging him to say otherwise.
Wait, why?
When I first brought it up, you didn’t say you would come with me. You just gave me permission as though you were waiting for me to say that I would go to the townhouse… hmm? Now that I think about it, there was a slight crease in his brow, like he was disapproving of something.
As I recalled Diart’s expression when I brought up the subject, I shook my head. What does it matter now? Even if we fight or argue, we’ll still end up going to the townhouse together.
“Is there a reason why I shouldn’t go to the townhouse?”
“It’s sudden. When I talked to you before, you didn’t show any signs of wanting to go.”
“I haven’t sorted out my thoughts on you yet.”
“When will you sort them out?”
“I don’t know.”
Diart turned his gaze away from me irresponsibly and watched as the knights carried the luggage.
‘No, this won’t do. Going to the townhouse like this is meaningless.’
I glared at Diart, his fine silver hair fluttering, took a deep breath, and spoke.
“Duke, as I mentioned before, the reason I’m moving to the townhouse is to find a place to live after the divorce. Isn’t it strange for you to go with me?”
“Is there anything strange about it?”
“Of course it’s strange!”
“Then don’t go.”
“But I have to go. I need to plan how I’m going to live from now on.”
“Can’t you do that here?”
“It’s uncomfortable here.”
“Then let’s go together.”
“I mean, why are you going, Duke?”
“You said you were going.”
“I can go alone.”
My recent conversations with Diart felt like running in circles. Talking about the same thing over and over again made me feel dizzy, so I rubbed my forehead with my hand. Then Diart wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
“Are you dizzy?”
Surprisingly, his voice was filled with concern. Although it was very subtle. I felt his large hand holding my shoulder and looked up at him. His deep golden eyes were looking down at me from up close.